Gratitude

Could I ask the people who ask for prayers through the forum, if they could and it seems clear to them that their prayers are answered to state this fact on a post on the forum to acknowledge this.

There is a variety of reasons for doing so. For instance paying credit to where credit is due, to the good God. Giving proper thanks., not only to the Gracious God but to our brothers and sisters who have prayed .

But perhaps most importantly to encourage the faith of our sisters and borthers in God Himself and in the POWER OF PRAYER ITSELF.

It bears remebering that GOd answers our prayers in His own time and in His own way. If, for instance someone is ungoing tests for cancer and the results are negative it does not necessarily mean the cancer was nevr there; it may in fact well mean that the cancer which was formerly there at first examination has simply ceased to exist.

You know it has often seemed to me that nothing must seem so very clearly like a slap in the face to God as ingratitude.

Recall; if we did indeed happen to thank God for something He was not, in fact, accountable for, our thanks will never be wasted, for we have so very much to thank Him for.

I want to thank God for the great turn out at the vigil for life in Dublin yesterday. It also seems to have been accurately reported on RTE, and please God the Irish Independent and its journalists will be equally inspired.
Thank you to everyone interceding on behalf of the preborn children of Ireland -North and South. God bless you all.

This isn't my answered prayer but it was contained in an email I received today and gives those of us with lapsed children and relatives great hope that our prayers for them are heard.

Dear Ben,

I would like to share with you a miracle that happened in August 2012 and how I was introduced to FOSS through this miracle.My son named Nathaniel was living in Louisiana . Nathaniel was estranged from the Catholic Church - as are all of my 7 children. However, I know occasionally he had stepped into one of the large basilicas in New Orleans to pray. Nathaniel was number 6 of my 7 children. He was a free spirit and had lived in several different states. At 26 I thought that the horrible teen years of experimenting with drugs and alcohol were over. I had purchased a plane ticket and was looking forward to both Nathaniel and my youngest son Gabriel coming home. Nathaniel had lived in Louisiana for 3 years. Gabriel had been in the air force for 5 years and had been to the Middle East three times to fight in the Iraq war. Having them both home was going to be a real time of celebration. Nathaniel’s ticket was for August 27 and Gabe would be home soon after.I have always feared for my children’s souls. I have prayed many rosaries to help them. I am a nurse at a small hospital in Iowa . When a Catholic has been near death, I always ask the family if they would like a priest notified. More often than not, they are very thankful someone reminded them. If the person is still conscious, I ask if they would let me put a scapular around their neck. If they allow the scapular to be put around theIr neck soon after they request a priest. Many times I have witnessed someone, who minutes before had refused a priest, have a change of heart and ask for a priest after the scapular was put on.

Now knowing if anything would ever happen to any of my children they would surely lose their soul, I alwaysprayed “please, Blessed Mother, allow my children to have a priest at the hour of their deaths the same as the people in the hospital”.

On August 27, just 11 days before my son Nathaniel was due to come home, at 3.00am, my phone rang and woke me from a sound sleep. By the time I got to the phone, it had stopped ringing. A message had been left from a hospital in Louisiana . Immediately I called the number back. Nathaniel had been brought into emergency. They transferred me to a physician in ER. Nathaniel had pulmonary edema. They had no idea of the cause but he had been put on a ventilator to help him breathe. I was told he would only be on the ventilator for a few hours. They would move him to ICU later when a bed was available. After I had hung up the phone, I thought about a priest. I called right back and requested a priest. They assured they had one on staff and that Nathaniel would be anointed immediately. After I hung up my husband and I started calling all of his siblings and making plans to leave for New Orleans . We were frantic. We knew it was critical. We threw our things together and left straight away. On the way I prayed nonstop.At 1.00 p.m. made a call to the ICU and spoke with a physician. This was the first time I heard the word heroin and my heart stopped. But the doctor made it sound as if Nathaniel would pull through.At 2.00 p.m. I called for an update on his condition. They asked when we would be there. After I told the charge nurse we would not arrive there until the next day, she then told me, for the first time, Nathaniel was not expected to survive.

I began to panic. “No”, I begged God, “please not my son”. I hung up the phone and called his siblings. I asked them to pray.

At 2.15 p.m. I called back. They said he was coding and they were performing CPR. I begged them to get a priest again so he would not die alone. I called my children again and updated them. We were all praying.

At 3.15 p.m., we had just passed into Tennessee when the phone rang. It was that call that every parent dreads. Nathaniel was gone. They had done everything they could. I then had to call my children and tell them that their brother was dead. Our hearts were broken.In the following days, I learned that Nathaniel had gone to the ER at that hospital previously for a minor matter and had given my name as an emergency contact. This was our first miracle. What are the chances that a few days later he would be brought to that same hospital unconscious with a drug overdose. If he had not been there a short time before, they would never have been able to contact me, and he would not have had a priest. The second miracle is that this is the only hospital in New Orleans that has a priest on staff 24/7. God had answered our prayers. I have the utmost confidence that my son did not lose his soul. He was anointed before he died. That same day, I began praying for his soul and encouraging everyone I knew to do the same. After the funeral, one of my daughters started to accept the Catholic faith again. This was our third miracle.I started looking online for a place to have Masses said for the dead. This is how and why I found FOSS. I have enrolled all my living children, Nathaniel, my deceased parents and a deceased brother. This is the only comfort I can find in such a senseless death. Knowing he died with a priest at his side is a great solace. Knowing he is enrolled in FOSS, arranging the Masses and knowing he is remembered in over 100 Masses a day allows me to be able to do something for him even after death. Yours truly Melinda c

This isn't my answered prayer but it was contained in an email I received today and gives those of us with lapsed children and relatives great hope that our prayers for them are heard.

Ok. I now have to wipe myself up off the floor. I'm in a puddle...

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“Gold that is hoarded makes one a miser. Knowledge that is selfishly possessed makes one proud. Flesh that is too cared for turns into lust. It is the things that are spent, wasted for God’s sake that become remembered through history. “ Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

God had answered our prayers. I have the utmost confidence that my son did not lose his soul. He was anointed before he died. That same day, I began praying for his soul and encouraging everyone I knew to do the same. After the funeral, one of my daughters started to accept the Catholic faith again. This was our .third miracle

Yours truly Melinda c

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God bless Melinda for her testimony. God bless Nathaniel; may he rest in peace! May the re-ignited faith of the daughter become a raging fire!

Safe in the Father's Arms!

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songswith thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

I need to express my gratitude to Our Lord, Blessed Mother and St Joseph for heavenly assistance in finding a new job. I had been out of work since January due to a legal battle with my former business partner (hence my avatar is St Thomas More, the only lawyer we know for sure is in heaven ). We have been living on a home equity loan since then although the issues go back longer. In any case Thanks Be to God for answered prayers. It is humbling to know how many others on this forum have been in similar but more dire situations longer than my family - I will continue to pray for you all with special empathy. Please continue to pray for me and my family as our legal case drags on that God will guide us to a just settlement. St Thomas More, pray for us.

I need to express my gratitude to Our Lord, Blessed Mother and St Joseph for heavenly assistance in finding a new job. I had been out of work since January due to a legal battle with my former business partner (hence my avatar is St Thomas More, the only lawyer we know for sure is in heaven ). We have been living on a home equity loan since then although the issues go back longer. In any case Thanks Be to God for answered prayers. It is humbling to know how many others on this forum have been in similar but more dire situations longer than my family - I will continue to pray for you all with special empathy. Please continue to pray for me and my family as our legal case drags on that God will guide us to a just settlement. St Thomas More, pray for us.

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congrats Daniel!! Praise be to God! In the month of St. Joseph too...how fitting

Time is short. Consecrate yourself to Mary & convert. You will never regret it.

I would like to thank God on behalf of a lapsed Catholic who was blessed some years ago. This person was very stressed in her work and was due to start a course for a new caseload of 20 demanding people on the following monday. I met her the previous Friday and advised her to go the visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament before going to work on the monday, and to talk to him of her stress as she would to a human being. I met up with her later in the week and she told me she did as i had advised. NOBODY showed up for the course and it was cancelled!! And she was able to relax in doing a different aspect of her job for 2 weeks. This person is still a little luke warm as far as i know but im sure the Lord has planted his seed and it will flower in time.

I would like to thank God for the "trials" he has given me in my life . (no, I'm not crazy, here's why ). Because eventually they taught me a great life lesson and more importantly eventually increased my faith , once I understood its meaning. I had two physical healing as a boy, that convinced me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is a God , who hears and answers prayers !

Thanks to the Holy Trinity and Our Lady for our adopted son, my wonderful Husband and our families. We had been praying for a child for many years - he is now almost 25 years old. Also thanks for many other favours too numerous to mention!

With heartfelt gratitude,

An unworthy sinner!

***************************************************************************************Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.God bless Pope Francis!​